Exploring the Island of Sal, Cape Verde, with Kids

Are you looking for an adventurous trip in a warm climate with your family? If so, then look no further than Sal, Cape Verde! This beautiful island boasts a great climate during the months and is home to some impressive sights, including Shark Bay, Ojo Azul, and the salt mines of an extinct volcano. In this post, we discuss some of the activities you can enjoy on the island of Sal when visiting with kids. So keep reading to learn more about this exciting destination.

Cape Verde – a tiny island country in the Atlantic Ocean

Cape Verde is a small island country located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the west coast of Africa. Despite its small size, it is made up of ten islands and has a rich culture and history. The country was a Portuguese colony until it gained its independence in 1975.

Cape Verde’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, as the islands offer diverse landscapes of white sandy beaches, jungle, desert, volcanic mountains, and crystal-clear waters. The country also has a diverse musical culture, with a unique blend of African and Portuguese influences. Despite being vulnerable to droughts and other natural disasters, Cape Verde has made significant progress in recent years in terms of economic and social development.

The ten islands that make up Cape Verde each have their own personality and offer a diverse range of landscapes and experiences. Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio are renowned for their beautiful beaches, while Fogo boasts an active volcano that dominates the island’s landscape. Santiago, the largest island, is home to the capital city of Praia (meaning beach in Portuguese) and offers a mix of urban and rural experiences.

The Cape Verdean islands have a rich culture, with a unique blend of African and Portuguese influences. You can enjoy traditional music, dance, and food, as well as the warm hospitality of the local people.

With a year-round warm climate, the Cape Verde islands offer a perfect escape for those seeking sunshine, relaxation, and adventure – not bad at all for us Northern Europeans craving some light and sunshine during the winter months.

The Island of Sal

Sal is one of the easternmost islands of Cape Verde and probably the one receiving the most tourists. It’s known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and year-round sunshine. This island paradise offers the perfect escape from the harsh European winters, providing a warm and welcoming climate that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Whether you are looking to relax on the beach, enjoy water sports, or explore the vibrant local culture, Sal has something to offer everyone. With its breathtaking scenery, friendly locals, and abundance of activities, it’s no wonder that Sal is quickly becoming one of the most popular winter destinations for European travelers.

The landscape of Sal is characterized by a mixture of desert-like terrain and stunning beaches with crystal-clear waters. The island’s interior is dominated by rocky terrain with sparse vegetation. The coastline, on the other hand, is a paradise for beach lovers, with long stretches of pristine white sand and turquoise waters that are perfect for swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, and water sports.

In a few places along the coast, you will find picturesque fishing villages and colorful towns that offer a glimpse into the local culture and way of life.

The island’s unique landscape provides a stunning backdrop for a wide range of outdoor activities, including running, hiking, snorkeling, surfing, windsurfing, and kiteboarding. This is great for us as we like to spice up our beach vacations with different kinds of activities.

In the following, we will suggest some of the activities or sights that we think made our vacation to Sal an unforgettable experience.

Find a local guide when going exploring

First of all we would suggest that you go with a local guide, it’s not expensive at all. There are several ways to find a guide. Some are advertising at the beach by some of the large hotels. We just went with one that we liked and that was a great decision. You could also ask for a contact where you are staying or even just ask one of the local taxi drivers.

Exploring the small towns of Santa Maria and Palmeira

There are not many towns in Sal but some of the small fishing villages are nice to visit and soak in the laid back atmosphere. Both Santa Maria – the main town of Sal – and Palmeira have areas with small shops selling everything from souvenirs to colorful local handicrafts and clothes. Some of the souvenirs include dried shark jaws or puffer fish, scarves and handmade African drums.

Snorkeling and diving

The clear waters off the coast of Sal are teeming with marine life. Snorkeling is a great way to see some amazing fish and other sea creatures up close. It’s something we always seek whenever we are in locations with interesting underwater wildlife and Sal had great conditions for snorkeling with our kids in some of the locations where the beach was shielded by rocks or concrete piers.

Sal also has good conditions for diving and there are several companies you can book with. We each had a couple of good dives with the company Scuba Caribe. Our kids were too young to go diving when we visited Sal but we managed to fit in a couple of dives each by taking turns. If you are wondering how you can go diving while vacationing with smaller kids, we have more ideas for parents who would like to do some not so kid-friendly activities while traveling as a family.

Shark Bay

Watching lemon sharks in the shallow waters of Shark Bay is an unforgettable experience for anyone who loves marine life. Shark Bay, located on the eastern coast of Sal, is a protected marine reserve that provides a safe haven for various species of marine life, including lemon sharks. These sharks can be observed in their natural habitat as they swim in the clear, shallow waters close to the shore.

The waters of Shark Bay are relatively calm, and the visibility is excellent, making it easy to see the lemon sharks as they swim gracefully around. With the guidance of an experienced guide, you can observe these magnificent creatures up close, gaining a greater appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the marine ecosystem.

If you bring water shoes, you can walk into the very shallow waters and have a close encounter with sharks as small lemon sharks (non-aggressive!) will start circling your legs if you stand fairly still.

There is also a rusty shipwreck to explore in Shark Bay. The whole family will love this unique experience!

Ojo Azul

Ojo Azul – or the Blue Eye – is a small rocky lagoon on the north west side of Sal. There’s a cavern with an opening in the shape of an eye. If you go there at the right times during the day, the sunlight shines through the opening into the blue water below creating the resemblance of a large blue eye. It’s an interesting sight and there’s a small natural pool where you can take a dip in the refreshing waters or just enjoy the breathtaking views.

Salinas de Pedra de Lume – salt mines in an extinct volcano

The salt mines are located inside the crater of a small extinct volcano and are a great way to learn about the history of Cape Verde. You can also see how salt is extracted from the ground and the highlight of this sight is floating in the pools in the crater with a very high salt concentration. Just like swimming in the Dead Sea, it’s almost impossible to not just have your whole body stay at the surface. Our whole family thought this was an unforgettable and fun experience.

If you are interested in wildlife, Sal also has a special treat for you at certain times during the year – you can watch sea turtles nest during the summer months and baby turtles hatch during fall!

For inspiration on other island adventures, check out our guide to Martinique with kids, snorkelling with sharks and stingrays in Moorea or exploring Malta.

Final words

There’s no doubt about it, Sal in Cape Verde is a great place to spend a week with your family. We loved spending time on the beach, playing in the sand and watching colorful fish while snorkeling. Our family also loved going out and exploring both some of the small vibrant towns and the sights in the island – with watching wild lemon sharks and having them swim around our feet as a sure highlight!

With so much to see and do in Sal, you’re sure to create lasting memories that will be cherished for years to come. We are surely planning to come back!